Artistic Reflections

AUTHOR SPOTLIGHT

Peter John

I’d like to thank International Best Selling Author, Peter John for stopping by and sitting down with us on our virtual couch for a few minutes to answer a few qustions.

. Can you tell us a little about yourself?

I was born in Bromley, Kent back in the early seventies. I spent most of my childhood riding bikes, playing tag and kicking tin cans around the street, unless there was an actual football to hand. At the age of fourteen I had a milestone experience. Prior to that I had never shown the slightest interest in writing, if I remember rightly I wanted to be an astronaut, but then I got put into detention one afternoon. I had failed to bring in my homework assignment and the teacher had punished me by forcing me to write a short story during the lunch time break. While all the other boys kicked tin cans around the playground, I was sat in a room on my own with a sandwich, a carton of Kia-Ora and an exercise book. I picked at the sandwich while staring at the blank pages in front of me and then it happened. All of a sudden a story formed in my head and I almost instinctively threw in down on the paper. 45 minutes passed in what felt like seconds and the short story which I had called ’Thinking Crash’ was spread throughout the exercise book in my scruffy, barely coherent handwriting. I had never fallen into a story like that before, where my hand was struggling to keep up with my brain and I didn’t look up once from the pages until I heard the lunch bell ring. Ever since that day I have been hooked. I could have been circling the earth in a tin can and eating my dinner out of a tube if it wasn’t for that one stint in detention; I still like to consider it as a lucky escape.

. Who or what inspires you?

Many number of things. To tell the truth, inspiration usually hits me when I least expect it.

. Who’s you favorite author?

Piers Anthony has always been my favourite ever since I was a boy. I still love his Xanth series.

. Do you have a favorite time or place to write?

No, not really. I write when I can and where I can. The only thing I generally require is some peace and quiet.

. Do you have a favorite food or drink while you write?

A cool glass of real ale is a nice writing companion on occasion, but nothing much other than that.

.What do you do to relax?

I struggle to relax. My mind buzzes sometimes, especially if I have an ongoing work in progress simmering in the back of my head.

. As writers, we all have to deal with writer’s block, what do you do when that happens?

If I hit a blockage during a story I simply scroll to the beginning and start editing what I have already written. The in depth look usually gets my creative juices flowing again. If that doesn’t work the I step away for an hour or two, not thinking about it (or at least trying not to) can sometimes bring fresh inspiration.

Now that we’ve got the easy stuff out of the way, let’s talk about your book.

. Would you like to share something from you latest project with us?

My latest work in progress is a spin-off sequel to my book”Dead Medium”. It is called “Just Medium” and follows the story of a supporting character from my previous novel.

. What genre is it?

It is a Paranormal Comedy, the same as Dead Medium.

. Where do you draw your artistic inspiration from?

With both Dead Medium and Just Medium I drew my inspirations from members of my family and my experiences with mediums and psychics from when I was a child. My mother used to visit my spiritual people and usually had to tag along.

. Of all your characters, who is your favorite?

Without a doubt, May Elizabeth Trump. The grumpy, old ghost from Dead Medium.

. What authors have had the strongest influence on you as a writer.

Piers Anthony, Jack Giles, Terry Pratchett and Michael Crichton.

. Do you use an outline or do you let the story emerge as it goes along

The stories start without any real structure, but I build one as the ideas start to form. I find starting with a rigid direction to follow can stifle the story, but to continue with out at least a few guidelines will set the story on a wavering path.

. Are you traditionally or self-published?